Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone was left devastated by Copa del Rey final defeat on penalties to Real Sociedad after a 2-2 draw in extra time. But he was left insisting that his team could have won it inside 90 minutes.
“There’s not much to say,” a desolate Simeone said post-match. “I am just trying to be there for the players, because they know they put in a massive effort, with a very good second half and extra time.
“The match was decided in the 90 minutes. It was Baena’s chance to score, Johnny’s…
they went just wide, they were good attempts, but (Real Sociedad) had the clinical finishing needed and we didn’t.”
Diego Simeone on the defeat
“First of all, I’d like to congratulate the opposition. They played exactly the game they needed to. We didn’t start well, although we did respond to the first goal. We equalised but then lost our intensity again, they were more intense despite there not being many clear-cut chances. The second goal came, and at half-time we talked about changing our approach.
“The second half was exactly how we needed to play. We made it 2-2 and could have scored a third through Baena or Johnny, but the ball just wouldn’t go in. We went into extra time, and we each had a chance: Julián’s hit the crossbar and Musso made a good save from theirs. We competed well, the players gave everything they had. Unfortunately, the penalties went their way. We congratulate them. There’s not much else to say.”
Simeone on the physical aspect
“Having played 90 minutes against Barça four days ago, it’s normal for the team to have had that dip in extra time. Even so, I think we did well. Apart from those 10 minutes at the start of the match, we were solid and the team gave everything they had.”
Simeone on the fans
“The fans need a win, they don’t need messages.”
Simeone on the poor start
“We didn’t start the first half well. From the 15th minute onwards we began to improve, showing intensity, depth and link-up play. Then we slipped back a bit into what you mentioned: less intensity, less ball recovery, fewer duels won. They didn’t create many chances, but we didn’t play as we did in the second half.”
Simeone on the Champions League
“I’m not thinking about Arsenal. This really hurts. We needed to win and we couldn’t. We all gave it our all and that gives me some peace of mind.”
Simeone on why he subbed Lookman
“I understood that with Sørloth up front we could create more chances and that Julián could fulfil the role Lookman was playing. Then we moved Baena out to the left. That’s how I understood the substitution.”
